CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
TALES OF KOKAUA TOWN
Everyone, not matter who they are, how old they are, where they come from or what they may appear to be, has a story to tell.
Kokaua Town is filled with people who all have stories to tell…
The Tale of Nick: Brother, My Brother
Nick sat on a park bench, waiting for Lilo. He wondered how long she was going to take.
That morning they'd promised to meet for lunch at the park after going off to do hula practice and surfing practice, with Nani and David respectfully.
David.
Heh.
Nick heard the sound of crying and looked behind him. A little kid with messy black hair had fallen to the ground. Apparently his brother, a ratty-haired red-head who was looking very guilty, had accidentally tripped him.
There was Charlie, running to help him up. "Are you okay?" "Sniff…I…I think so…" "Go get your mom, Shaun. I'll look after Fleming here." "Right!"
Fleming ran off. Nick sighed. Now how many times had he accidentally tripped his own brother, David? Not too many. Now how many times had he and his brother deliberately tripped each other?
Tons of times.
Nick groaned. Why oh why did he keep thinking about David? Dave was a total jerk to him. He didn't like anything Nick did, didn't ever want to hang out, always wanted him away from his stuff…it was like David had become a grouchy teenager early, and Nick had whipped right through the phase in one year.
Unfortunately, David was now apparently STUCK in the "grouchy teen" years. He was cynical, critical of everything Nick did (good reason or not) and the two brothers weren't above fighting occasionally. REAL fighting.
Nick thought back, thinking about one of the truly happy memories he had.
BGM: Eternity Memory of Lightwaves, by Noriko Matsueda & Takahito Eguchi
It's you and me.
Outside. The backyard. Playing in the sprinkler. Someone…is it Mom? Think so…
We're happy, I know that. Someone takes the shot with the camera…we're playing forever, always happy and smiling.
Then…
Oh, we're in the playroom. We've got all the Legos out. There's my guy, Zack Katarn, the one I got from the "Star Wars" set. The one I worked on, made into a Jedi Knight.
I always had these grand dreams of fantasy I wanted to play out then.
But you had your own. I should have listened to you.
What…
Oh…oh!
Disneyland! I can't believe it's Disneyland again! I really missed this memory. There's me and you, and Grandma, and Mom and Dad, still together…
The teacups…that big wooden roller coaster that goes down near those falls…it was a beautiful day…
Now we're fighting.
Don't know what about. You say something. I'm angry. I…
I almost hit you. You DO hit me. Nose is bleeding. Outside. Crying.
Can't…can't remember why…
Something else…I'm pinning you down.
"You deserve this! You little brat! You deserve this! You've had this coming for a long time!"
"Get off me, you fat pig!"
"You little jerk! I'm not letting you go until you apologize for all the times you made fun of me-You SPAT at me!"
"Get off you fat fu-"
Mom. Pillows being thrown. Smothering. Punching. Kicking.
And endless cycle. Brief periods of peace. Respite. The occasional glimpse of the Dave I knew and loved. Then arguing. Bickering. Hatred.
Fighting.
I…
Dave…
I…
I still…
I still want…
I still want you to…to…
"Are you alright?"
Nick looked to the side and saw that Charlie had sat next to him. "You okay?"
"I'm…just…just fine…no, I'm not. My brother hates me. We're always fighting, always arguing, he's…he's not the kid with the hair that never got messed up anymore. He's not the kid who was always happy to play with me. Not the kid who…who no matter what happened, at the end of the day, was always willing to listen. Now he won't listen. It…it HURTS, Charlie. I know he's getting old, but I don't think he's growing u-"
"He'll always love you." Charlie said.
"Huh?"
"He'll always love you, no matter what happens. You gotta believe that."
"I do?"
"If you don't believe that, then you'll be lost. You gotta keep those memories in your heart and hold on. Be as nice and as helpful to your brother as you can, and try to be a good role model. That's what he needs."
"But he doesn't want me as an older brother. He'd rather have one of his best friends be his older brother, like Avi or Matt or Dan or Marshall…"
"Nick…who's his family?"
"I am."
"So why are you worrying? You're family. Nothing's ever gonna change that."
"A million things could!"
"And a million things couldn't."
"…so I should just do my best?"
"That's all the old David would want. And it's what the new David wants too, deep down."
Nick nodded, looking up at the sky as the clouds moved slowly by. "I still…I still wish that just…well, just once in a while, maybe he'd at least say…well, I love him, and I know he loves me."
"Of course he does."
"It would just be nice if he'd…if he'd say he loved me too once in a while."
"David really loves you, Nick."
"I know, I know Charlie. I…I just want him to SAY it, that's all…"
Nick let out a long sigh.
"I just wish, just once, that he'd turn to me and say-"
Nick suddenly stopped talking, stiffening.
"Wait…I never told you my brother's na-"
But now Nick was sitting all alone on the bench, with Lilo walking up to him. "Hey Nick! You look kinda pale. Did you eat too much ice cream?" Nick looked around, whipping his head. He turned to Lilo. "Did you see Charlie anywhere?" "No. Why?"
Nick shivered. "…no reason. Uh…let's go for a walk, okay? I wanna tell you about my brother a little."
Nick stood up and took Lilo's hand, and they walked around the bench and down through the park trail as the clouds slowly moved in the sky.
Nick turned back to look at the bench, and saw Charlie waving at him. He blinked…
Charlie was gone.
"Thanks, Charlie." Nick thought, and turned back to his girlfriend.
The camera pans out, showing Nick and Lilo walking away, with the faint image of David Grey walking behind him, perfect hair unmoving and holding a sprinkler hose. (The music ends.)
The Tale of Stitch: This Side of Paradise
Stitch walked out of the movie theater with Angel, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She waved goodbye and walked off. "I'll meet up with you at the beach!" He called out in Galactic, or rather, Tantalog.
Once Angel was out of sight his grin faded instantly and he shuffled down the sidewalk, miserable.
The movie they had gone to seen, in case you were wondering, was "Highlander".
Now do you know why he was depressed?
When he and Lilo had gone into the future, he hadn't changed in physical appearance, though they'd skipped ahead twenty years. That had worried him in the back of his mind.
And now seeing that movie…
It had made him wonder.
What if he just…what if he just kept on living? Suppose he outlived not only his creator, but his whole family?
The idea made him sick. He didn't want to outlive his family. Especially not Lilo.
He slowly walked down the sidewalk, wondering if he should talk to someone. He saw the church a few blocks down and walked in. Father Joe, grey-haired and beaming, bowed. "It's very nice to see you, my son. I take it young Stitch that you are, ah, visiting Page?"
Stitch nodded. "Ih."
"Page my boy, one of your brother's is here to see you."
Page walked out of a door, closing it gently. He noticed Stitch and waved, walking over. "Stitch! Brother! Aloha! How have you been doing?" Stitch shrugged. Page hugged him. "I had best continue where you left off." Father Joe said. "I'll finish up the tax forms." "Okay. But if you need help with the 1012 form, I'm right here."
Page looked into Stitch's eyes and suddenly pulled away. "Brother, something seems to be very wrong with you. Is there something you wish to talk about?"
"Ih."
"Well…you may want to come into the confessional."
"Naga Catholic."
"We need the privacy, and I think that God can make an exception just this once. You seem to have lost all of your spirit, Stitch. Has someone stolen the joy from your heart?"
Stitch walked into the confessional and sighed. He sat down. Page sat down on the other side.
"Now…tell me what the matter is."
Stitch let out a long sigh and then told him, in Tantalog, how he felt. Page listened intently. Then he gasped when he heard Stitch speak of…
"Brother, don't speak of that! That is the ultimate act of cowardice and selfishness! You cannot even THINK of doing that now. Your family needs you. Now go think about this."
"What about…well…"
"I wish I could help you with knowing when we shall die, but that is up to God. Only He knows when people shall die. Farewell, brother. You must not let those evil thoughts into your heart."
Stitch left the church, feeling depressed, possibly even more so than he had been before. He walked across the road and over to the park, sitting on a bench near a swingset.
Someone tapped him on the head. He looked up and saw big, bright blue eyes looking right into him.
"Hiiiii!" Charlie said, beaming.
"Huh…hiiii." Stitch said, not much happiness in his greeting. Charlie walked around the bench and faced Stitch. "You look down in the dumps. Wanna swing?"
"Why naga?" Stitch said, hopping off the bed and getting on the swing. But he didn't swing much, just a couple inches back and forth. Charlie sat on the swing next to him. "What's wrong, Stitch?"
"Me…me worried."
"Why?"
Stitch tried to find the words. "Stitch…Stitch worried he naga get old…like ohana get old. Like Lilo. Like Nick. Stitch naga wanna live to see ohana die. Stitch…Stitch naga wanna bury ohana."
Charlie suddenly whacked Stitch on the arm. "So you're worried you'll outlive them? That's it?"
Stitch suddenly felt angry. He growled.
"Don't you get it? I don't think you WILL outlive them, but even if you're built to last longer…you'll always be there."
Stitch blinked. "Huh?" He said, tilting his head.
"You'll be the tether that will never break for as long as your family lives. Others may come and go from their lives but if you're gonna live for as long as you think you'll live, then you'll always be there, for their marriages, their first kids, their grandkids, by the bedside…you'll always be there. And people need someone to always be there, no matter what happens…and you could be that someone. Is that really such a bad thing?"
Stitch blinked slowly.
"Stitch…living for a long time's not so bad. Look at it this way…Lilo may be getting old, and planning on leaving Hawaii…she may get married and have kids in the mainland…but tell me, do you wanna miss that?"
"Naga…naga for the world!" Stitch said, suddenly feeling…oddly content.
Charlie beamed again. "THAT'S the Stitch we all love! You'll be there, for every scraped knee and for every hospital trip. For better or for worse, Stitch. Nobody will get left behind, no matter how old you or your family gets. Just take what comes, and if you ARE gonna live longer than them, try to always be there for them, and for THEIR children, and that way you'll always be with your family. Besides…"
Charlie hopped off the swing and walked over, tapping Stitch on the chest…on the heart.
"Your ohana never leaves this place, no matter what happens. See?"
Stitch nodded. "Charlie…taka."
"Now come on! Let's see how high you swing, Stitch!"
"Oketaka, but me gotta meet boojibu in two hours."
"Well we've got nothing but time, don't we?"
Stitch smiled. Charlie hopped back on his swing, and they began.
As the wind whipped against his face, Stitch happily laughed.
He didn't know if he would live longer than his family.
But he didn't care.
He'd be there for them, no matter what happened…
And right now, he'd just enjoy his time in Paradise.
After all, he did have nothing but time.
And his family really wasn't going anywhere.
(Camera closes in on both of the swingers, and then it freezes, as both Stitch and Charlie jump off at the same time, yelling happily.)
The Tale of 621: Don't Look Back in Anger
621 broke the tree with a single punch, snarling. The dirty bird that had DARED to let loose a dump on his special picnic basket flew off of the branch.
Unfortunately for it, it wasn't that fast. A moment later a good rock hit it in the stomach.
It fell to the earth, plummeting. 621 leisurely opened his mouth and swallowed the falling bird in a single gulp. Still alive, it started squawking and trying to beat its wings, but it was trapped. 621 chewed vigorously, silencing the bird's cries and finally swallowing, beak, feathers, the lot.
"Not bad. So that's what it's like to eat crow." "And you say that I am disgusting." 561 said. He was picking his teeth with a claw. "Serves it right. I'm going out. Don't expect me back until late." "Sure, sure. Of course. Pray tell, where are going?"
"Pray harder, I'm not telling." And with that, 621 walked off into the woods, away from the ship. 561 rolled his eyes and headed back into the ship.
621 found his way into town and walked towards the nearest bar. He opened the door.
Several rough-looking thugs were playing pool. One of them looked at him, sneering. "And whatta we got here, boyos? Some kinda mutant lemur?" "Skin it. It'll make a nice little rug for ya bathroom, mate." "Uh…it looks kinda dangerous…"
621 rolled his eyes. Then he put his picnic basket down and looked over the pool table at the bartender, the only other man in the place. "I'll give you ten seconds to leave." He said in a calm voice. The bartender could tell that the thing was big trouble, so he grabbed the cash register and ran out the back door.
The thugs looked at 621, snickering. "Think we could git arrested fer cruelty ta animals?" "Only if they catch us, so we don't leave no evidence, duh!" "Guys, uh, maybe we should go…"
621 cracked his knuckles. "Man, I haven't done this in a while. Should be fun. By the way…I'm Experiment 621. I just thought you deserved to know what your executioner's called, that's all. You don't mind…"
His extra arms popped out. The thugs stopped, suddenly feeling very afraid.
"Do you?" 621 whispered, advancing slowly.
A few extremely graphic moments later all of the punks, save for the last one, were feeling nothing and never would again. The survivor (who wasn't even out of high school) looked at 621, utterly afraid as the experiment grabbed his neck. "Are you afraid of me now?" 621 asked calmly.
"Yes." The punk said in a squeaky voice. "Good." 621 said, dropping him. "Now go home, you stupid kid. Your mommy's probably waitin' for you." The kid ran out of the bar, screaming. 621 removed the wallets from the dead bodies and put all the money in one of them onto the top of the bartender's counter. The bartender peeked back inside, eyes wide.
"Sorry about the mess." 621 said, walking out of the bar and trying not to step in the blood of the two dead punks.
After licking his fingers clean of blood, he walked back down the sidewalk, and kept walking for about half an hour, finally reaching the flower shop. He opened the door and held out a fifty-dollar bill. "What kinda rose can I get for this?" He asked.
The florist could tell it was a special occasion, and gave him the best one she had, a huge pink rose in a white wrap. "Would you like a card? Is it for your girlfriend?" "Well, uh…" "We've got two cards. Either "Aloha Baby" with Elvis Presley on the front, or "Pow, Super-Girlfriend!"?" "Uh…neither. I'd just like the flowers." He paid the lady and bid her good day, walking outside with a cheery "Thanks!".
621 then made his way deeper into town, heading for a nearby "New Age" shop. As he opened the door the bell jingled.
"Yo, can I help you man?" There was a man with long, shoulder length hair, a purple t-shirt and dark green shorts at the service counter. He hadn't shaved in a while either…or showered.
"I'd like some incense sticks." 621 asked. The man nodded, pulling out a display stand that had several dozen glass jars on it, all filled with different kinds of incense sticks.
"Like, uh…what kind? Is it uh…Health? Good Luck? Power? Wisdom?"
"Is there one for remembrance?"
"Remembrance? I dunno…I have "Memory". Is that good enough, man?"
"It will be. How much for two?"
"Two bucks dude."
"You sound familiar…"
"Maybe you've heard about me on an APB man?"
"I think I've heard you on the radio."
"Oh yeah, I'm Dude. Nice to meet you."
"Wow, I'm a big fan of the show. You're very good."
"Why thank you my good sir. A pleasure doing business with you."
After getting two of the sticks, 621 put them in his picnic basket and walked a few blocks down, going into the grocery and buying a rainbow swirl lollipop that was almost as big as his head. He put that in the basket as well, then walked towards the park, crossing over the road.
He had just crossed when he noticed that someone was running towards him, purse in hand…
And it was a guy.
"Gimme back my purse, creep!" A lady shouted somewhere. But she was too far off. He ran past 621 and into the park, hiding in a tree.
621 rubbed his chin. He had an idea…
The thief opened up the purse inside the dense thickness of the park tree. "Wow, lookit all that! Quite a haul."
"You should give it back to her."
"Huh? Who said that?"
"You should give it back to her."
"What the? I'm hearing voices in my head?"
"This is your conscience, Willy. Your momma would be VERY ashamed of you if you knew what you were doing. Honestly. She spent all that money she was saving for her art classes just to pay your bail money, and now you're stealing AGAIN? It's like spitting in her meal!"
"My conscience? You're like that Jiminy Cricket guy?"
"Basically, Willy. Now think about your momma. Do you think she raised you to be a thief?"
"No."
"Go bring that purse back, Willy. Do you want to end up in jail again? Bubba did say that if he saw you again he was gonna make you-"
"Okay, I'll do it! Don't remind me of that! I'll go give the purse back!"
Willy looked into the purse and found the address of the lady to whom it belonged. He hopped down from the tree and walked off, heading for her house so that he could return it. 621, who had been hiding in a nearby bush smiled. "Now that be my good deed for the day." He thought.
He walked over to a nearby hill, and there under another tree, a big oak, was a blond-haired kid who was playing jacks. The kid took one look at him and nodded. "Okay, I'll leave." 621 raised an eyebrow. "How did you…oh, the basket." "I can smell the incense a little bit too. Memory, right?" "Yes, how did you…oh never mind."
The kid left the hill and 621 was alone. He put down the picnic basket and took out some of the things he'd put into it. First a little wooden plate with two holes on the side, then the rose, then the lollipop. Then he took out the sticks and lit them with his claws, making a spark by snapping his fingers. He put the sticks in the holes, then placed the lollipop and then the rose down. He took out his final object…
A little picture of Angel. Of HIM and Angel. Pix, another experiment, used to only take BAD pictures, but occasionally he would take really great ones, if you asked him really nicely or if he liked you. Now he always took good ones since he'd found his one true place…
But the one's he'd made before finding it, the good ones, would always be special. Especially this picture.
He and Angel were sitting together, hugging each other and smiling happily at the cameras. They were both in the cafeteria, with a cake on top of their table that read "Happy 1st Anniversary!".
"Happy Anniversary.." 621 said quietly. "I've missed you." He fingered the lollipop. "I brought you a lollipop. Your favorite kind too. Remember, I made one for you for our first date? We both started licking it until it was all gone and then we had our first kiss." He sighed. "It's been a while, huh? Remember when we snuck out of the lab and put shaving cream on Jumba's face? And then we booby-trapped his door? That was funny. Remember when we held hands and hugged and kissed and when we finally…finally…"
He stopped talking, looking at the picture.
"I miss you." He said.
"She probably misses you too." The blond-haired kid said from behind him. 621 didn't even turn around. "What do YOU know, kid?"
"I know you miss her. Why not just talk to her?"
"She…she doesn't wanna see me. She hates me. She used to be my girl…but not now."
"What happened?"
"I drove her away, alright!?! Go away or I'll eat your brains or something."
"You should just go see her." The kid insisted. 621 sighed.
"Kid, there are some things you can't rush. It's…it's not that simple. I can't just go and see her. It's painful. It's very painful for me to even think about her…"
Silence.
"What, NOW you're being silent?" 621 turned around.
Nobody was there. He blinked. "I'm losing it." He thought, turning back to the picture. He fingered it in his hands a little.
"Hmm…"
Angel sighed and leaned back on the towel she was on as she waited for Stitch. She knew he'd be along soon.
Then she saw a familiar shadow blocking her sun, from right behind her. She turned around, surprised. 621 looked down at her.
"Hello, Angel." He said. "I have something I need to say to you."
Angel blinked slowly, then nodded.
"Oketaka."
"Angel…I really loved you. And I was hurt when you left me. But…I just…when you look back on what we had…think of that, and as for what happened in the lounge the day after 625 was made…don't…don't take it with you, okay? Please, don't take it with you."
Angel nodded slowly. "I won't." She said. 621 nodded, walking away. Soon after Stitch appeared into view, and noticed that Angel was looking far off in the distance. "Were you talking to someone?" He asked in Tantalog.
"An old friend." She said. "A really good old friend."
621, now walking back to the ship through the jungle, sang softly to himself.
Soooo Sally can wait…she knows it's too late as we're walking on byyyy…
Her sooouuull slides awaaaay…
But don't look back in anger…don't look back in anger…
I heard you say…
(Camera cuts to the hill, where the little memorial is. It then cuts to the back of the photo, where a note has been scribbled. It reads "Boyfriend and Girlfriend Forever", and then the camera pans out to the whole memorial as the wind gently blows, making the leaves rustle and the incense smoke trail lightly into the sky.)
At least not today…
The Tale of 627: Everything Sucks
627 groaned. It had been his turn to get the groceries. They didn't have much in Gantu's ship, only some sandwich stuff. So straws had been drawn.
"Okay, short straw gets the groceries, have we all agreed on that?"
"I don't see why we have to do this. Can't 625 just go? It's not like he does much in the-"
Gantu silenced 627 with a glare. "Good, glad to see we all agree. Pick a straw." He held out his huge fist, several straws sticking out. 561, 621, 625 and 627 all drew while Gantu took the last one.
As it turned out, 627 had the short straw. "Aw, blitznack." He said. "All right, I'll go get the dumb food."
So now he was sitting in the back of the bus, extra arms withdrawn and one holding onto some money for groceries. Next to him an annoying punk was playing his music too loudly. It was giving 627 a headache.
"I can tell you're lying, cuz when you're replying…ya stutter-stutter, st-st-stutter, stutter! I can tell you're lying, cuz when you're replying…ya stutter-stutter, stuh-stuh-stutter, stutter! My dear-my-dear-my-dear you do not know me but I know you very well and lemme tell you that I caught-caught-caught-caught-"
627 groaned even more loudly and covered his ears, pressing his palms completely into them. "Stupid humans." He thought.
The next song started out okay, but then it turned out to be even worse.
"When you f&+ked grandpa did he tell you that he loved you? Did he hold you 'till the sun did rise and did he look into your eyes and ask you to fellate him…and stick a finger or to in his-"
Luckily for 627 the bus came to a quick stop. 627 bolted off and looked around.
Oops.
Wrong stop.
He was five blocks away from where he needed to be.
627 bounded up and down on the sidewalk, cursing violently in Galactic AND Tantalog, a potent mix. He slipped in a few Basic swears too, which got some nearby people to give him nasty looks. After finishing up with a nasty comment about that stereo kid's OWN grandpa, a dog and a potted plant, he finally decided to simply walk to the grocery store.
It was a loooong walk. The sidewalk was pretty deserted, as were the roads, but for some reason it still seemed to take ages to reach the store. He finally got there though, going straight in.
"All right, let's see, what did we need again?"
He found a cart and went up and down the aisles.
"Let's see, fruit, fruit…what kind of fruit? Apples? Oranges? Grapes? Oh wait. Right. Apples, pears AND grapes. And a watermelon. Okay, veggies. Broccoli? Naw, they didn't want broccoli-they did want broccoli, or was it cauliflower? Which is the green one? And did we want peanut butter, yeah I think they wanted that. Chunky? Creamy? Extra Chunky? What brand, Skippy, Jif or...ARGH! Why'd I do that straw thing anyway?!?"
When he was finally finished with the shopping he went to the checkout line, only to find…
Fourteen people were in line. He groaned and slammed his head onto the handle of the cart, hitting it over and over and over again.
Finally his turn came. He handed the pimply-faced teenager who was working at the line his first item, a box of pasta. "Okay, one box of spaghetti. Let's see." The kid scanned it.
Beeeeeep.
"Oh boy. Hmm. Lemme try that again."
Beeeeeep.
"Hmm. Not working. That's odd."
Beeeeeep.
"I'll just enter the bar code. Okay, 0-8-3-0-1-9-9…oops, shouldn't have hit that. Okay, again. 0-8-3-0-1-9-9. Okay, all good. Oh, it looks like the scanner's not working. I'll have to do this for all of your groceries, uh…sir."
627 groaned again and whacked his head on the cart over and over.
Finally the groceries were all scanned. 627 paid the teen and took the groceries outside, walking to the nearby bus stop that he SHOULD have gotten off at. Unfortunately he didn't see the little puddle of Coke that someone had spilled.
A few moments later he was lying on his back in the soda, groceries scattered around him. He groaned again, picking himself and the groceries up. The bus arrived and he got on, but everyone sat FAR away from him since he smelled too much like soda and flies were gathering around him. His six arms, though potent, couldn't keep them away.
And the teen was there. Somehow, in some way, he was there…
And his stereo was blaring.
"I know everything sucks yeah, I know everything sucks wo-ah-oh. I know everything sucks aaand this is gonna be the last time you hear me complain!"
This time 627 didn't feel like shutting the stereo off or plugging his ears. But he still felt miserable. The song was so true it hurt, like rubbing salt in an open wound.
"Want some chocolate?" A young, blue-eyed kid was sitting next to him, to his left. The teen was to his right. 627 looked over at the kid, giving him a look that could kill, which was usually followed by killing.
The kid held out a chocolate bar, partially unwrapped. 627 shoved it away. "No." He snarled. "Get lost, kid." The blond-haired brat shrugged. "Okay, okay. You sure you don't want a piece? It's an N-E-S-T-L-E, the candy bar for you and me!" "…oh, fine. Just one piece." The kid handed him a piece and 627 popped it into his mouth, muttering obscenities in his head at the teen with the stereo, not even getting out a muffled "thanks" to the kid, who just smiled and went back to eating his chocolate bar.
Finally he got off at the right stop and headed into the jungle, back to the ship. He was about twenty feet away from the ship when one of bottoms to a grocery bag fell out. And it began to rain.
This time his groan could be heard from two miles away.
He finally, soaking, entered the ship, putting the bags and the various spilled groceries onto the floor, walking slowly to the kitchen counter and hopping up on a stool. He put his arms down on the counter and then buried his face in them, hiding his look from 625, who was across the counter and making something in the toaster.
627 sighed unhappily.
625 slid a plate with a nice-looking sandwich on it. It was a triple-meat sandwich with extra cheese and some jalapeno peppers.
"I made you your favorite." 625 said tentatively. "How was your day?"
627 picked up the sandwich and fingered it for a while before chowing down.
"Looking up." 627 said.
(Camera freezes as 627 takes his first bite.)
The Tale of Nani and David: You and Me
"I remember when I first met you, David." Nani said. They were at the beach, watching the surf pound and the surfers go back and forth, up and down on the waves.
"At the beach. Four years ago, remember?"
"I can't ever forget, Nani. You were wearing a pink t-shirt. I was surfing on my old red surfboard…it broke that day, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember." Nani said, laying her head down on his chest. "I walked up to you and asked you if you could teach me some surfing moves. You were just so amazing that day."
"What, I'm not amazing every day?" David asked, pretending to be upset. Nani laughed. "Yeah, and I said "Of course. Will you date me?"
"That got a laugh outta me. I said yes, right?"
"Uh huh. So I helped you get on the board, helped you balance…you hadn't surfed in ages. Then once you got in the groove you were going up and down like you'd been surfing since you were in diapers."
"But then that wave came and I broke the board when some lolo tried to stuff me."
"Ah, lolos will be loco."
"It snapped, I fell…"
"And I paddled out to you, and you were holding up the two pieces and looking really embarrassed. You said…"
"I said, "Uh, I guess I owe you a board". And then YOU said…"
"I said "You look a little pale. You might need mouth to mouth"."
"I can't believe you tried that line on me."
"I can't believe it worked."
"Our first kiss. Usually that happens AFTER the first date, not before."
"I dunno, I think that that surfing lesson was a nice date."
"Is this a date?"
David turned red. "Well, uh…I guess, that is…if you want it to be, Nani, we could…"
Then they noticed that Charlie was just across from them, guitar in hand. He beamed. "Hey, you want I should play something for the nice lady?" Charlie asked. "Or maybe you'd like to give it a try to play something for the nice lady, David?" He said, handing the guitar over to David, who looked a little surprised.
"Me? Play? I'm, uh…not that good…"
"Aw, come on!" Nani said, playfully shoving him. David shrugged.
"All right. I'll play something." Charlie smiled and sat down. David experimentally played a few notes and then jumped right into a song.
BGM: You and Me, by Lifehouse
What day is it? And in what month? Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right… Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do There's something about you now… Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do… What day is it?
This clock never seemed so aliiiive…
I can't keep up and I can't back down,
I've been losing so much tiiime…
Nothing to lose!
And it's you and me and all other people,
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you!
I'm tripping on words…
You've got my head spinning,
I don't know where to go from here!
Nothing to prove!
And it's you and me and all other people,
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you!
I can't quite figure ooouuuut!
Everything she does is beautiful…
Everything she does is right…
Nothing to lose!
And it's you and me and all other people,
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
and me and all other people with nothing to do…
Nothing to prove!
And it's you and me and all other people,
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of yooouuu!
And in what month?
This clock never seemed so aliiive!
Nani hugged him. "And you said you couldn't play."
"I guess I'm better than I thought."
"You play, you sing, you surf…can you cook dinner?"
"Sure." David said. "You mean it? I'd love to cook you dinner, even though it's only 2:00."
"It's okay, I like early dinners." She said, smiling. "What do wanna make?"
"You ever had chicken pot pie? I make a mean chicken pot pie…"
They get up and start walking away from the beach. Nani leans in, and says something that ends in "breakfast?" and David immediately looks at her, eyes widening and breaking into a nervous yet happy smile.
Camera freezes on them entering the house.
The Tale of Heartwing and 561: Rivals
Heartwing was bouncing in the backyard, chasing after a Monarch butterfly, jumping up every time it flapped up. He was having the time of his life.
"Woo! Wee! Woo-hoo! Ha-ha! Wa-weeeee!"
Suddenly there was a slow clapping from behind him. He turned around and saw 561, an amused expression on his draconic face.
"And what have we here? Indulging yourself in the simple pleasures of life? Entertaining to watch, I must say. But enough games."
Heartwing's eyes became slits. "You…you should go. Now."
"And if I say no?"
"…fight?"
561 nodded, a smile, not a nice one, creeping onto his face. "Yes. I wish to fight. How else am I to utterly consume you? I could just take you right now, but…no. I want to break you, poor, foolish cousin. I want to see the total defeat in your eyes right before I get to work on you. I want you broken, desperate for death…and THEN you will become one with me for all eternity."
"Evil."
"I suppose by your standards…and by my own…I am indeed evil. So be it. I am how I was made."
"Cop out."
"Lilo said the same thing. And that strange boy Nick thinks the same." 561 shook his head in mock sorrow. "The naïve boy believes too heavily in the idea that people have a choice no matter what happens. He is wrong. And when he sees there is nothing left of you, he will realize HOW wrong."
"Fight me." Heartwing said, his voice hollow.
"Until you die." 561 replied.
561 leapt at him.
Heartwing thrust his hand out, and fist met face. 561 fell to the ground, and Heartwing was upon HIM, clawing and tearing. But 561 was strong too, he slashed Heartwing across the chest and then the stomach. Heartwing staggered off, bleeding badly. 561 cackled.
"Giving up so soon, cousin?"
"No." Heartwing growled, suddenly twisting his body, tail lashing out, striking 561 in the leg. 561 howled and grabbed at it, blood gushing despite his hands effort's to keep it under control. 561 growled and removed his hand, licking it free of blood. "Nobody does that and gets away with it. Not-to-me."
Heartwing pulled one eye down with his middle finger, and stuck his tongue out, going "PBHHBBBBTT!!!" 561 picked up a stone and flung it. Heartwing ducked, doing in Matrix-style, only to find when he came right back up that 561 was leaping, talons first, striking him in the face. He flew back, hitting a tree and staggering back up…ANGRY.
"MONSTER." He snarled, spitting out blood. His white aura flared, surrounding him. He kicked off the tree, shooting forward with almost impossible speed and barreling into 561, punching him in the face over and over, left-right-left-right-left-right, finally stopping when 561 kneed him in his genitals.
Heartwing rolled on the ground, groaning horribly. 561's had bruises all over his face, was bleeding from the mouth, AND from his nostrils. Heartwing stood up, growling and spitting out some blood from his own mouth, slash marks on his face from where the taloned foot had kicked him.
"Come and get some." 561 growled, rushing at him with aura flaring up. Heartwing turned his own on and rushed forward. The two collided, locking claws, staring each other down. Now both of them were pushing, trying to get the other down. Locked in a deadly embrace. The first to break was done.
Something had to give…
Someone had to give…
Something…
"You know why you are weak?" 561 said, beginning to gain the upper hand. He pressed harder, getting Heartwing on one knee. "You are weak because you need others to lift you up. You cannot survive on your own strength. So you borrow your strength from others, take it from such foolish, sentimental ideas like love and friendship and family. You cannot win unless someone else is there, giving you love…that's why you are weak. I need only myself. Love ONLY myself. Care only about my own goals, not someone else's. And that is why I am stronger. I need nobody to make me strong like YOU do, weakling!"
Heartwing thought about his cousin's point…
For all of three seconds.
Then he remembered meeting Nick for the first time.
He remembered seeing Lilo and his cousin Stitch.
He remembered being captured, and then being let go because of Nick's compassion.
He remembered hanging out with his ohana, just having fun.
He remembered belly rubs, horse kisses, and hugs.
He remembered what it meant to be in a family.
And finally, He remembered what it had felt like, being all alone in a lab with a scary four-eyed evil scientist looking at him…having nobody care about him…
"Wrong." Heartwing said simply, speaking clearly, the word suddenly resounding through the air.
Suddenly he slammed his head right into 561's face, and his cousin fell back…
It was enough. Heartwing jumped on him, and…
THWOCK!
KHAK!
CRACKA!
Once! Twice! Thrice!
561's head fell back, bloodied and bruised all over. He had a black eye, his cheekbone was broken, his jaw broken as well. He looked up to see Heartwing had his claws raised high, poised to end it.
"Go ahead…finish me."
Heartwing swung them down…
And the claws embedded in the dirt less than two centimeters away from 561's head. Heartwing pulled them free and got off of his cousin, turning and walking away.
"You should have killed me. One day you'll… regret it." 561 said, barely able to say much at all, staggering up to leave.
Heartwing turned around, and was actually smiling, beaming broadly.
"Never." Was all he said, and then he went back to chasing the butterfly.
The Tale of 625: Gangsta's Paradise
"We all ready?"
"Not quite. We need to light the candles."
"Why do we need the candles again?"
"Dramatic effect."
"You and your dramatic effects, 627! What's the point?"
"Someday you'll all get it."
"Sure, and someday I'll end up sacrificing myself for Stitch..."
"And Gantu will be an admiral of the Galactic Fleet."
"Yeah, that'll be the day."
561, 621, 625 and 627 were all taking part in an elaborate ritual. It was 12:00 at night, okay, ALMOST midnight. They were all in the bathroom and the door was closed. Standing on a stool was 621, who was about to start the ritual up. AFTER 627 lit the 18 candles that were situated left, right and behind the sink. Above the sink, on the wall, was a huge mirror. They were going to summon a spirit.
"627, light the candles."
627 grinned and plugged up one nostril with his finger. Then he snot-blew flames from his nose, all of them lighting candles up. At last he finshed, and clapped his hands. "Ta-da! All done!" "That was disgusting." 561 said. "Let's never do this again." 621 said. "If only for that reason alone."
621 took a deep breath. "Everyone ready?" "Yep." "Uh-huh." "I am ready."
621 nodded. "Let's do this thing."
It was very dark and cloudy out. The moon had been clouded over, and no stars could be seen. A harsh wind blew, and the ship was full of scary noises. Clearly some spooky shitake was about to go down.
"Biggie Smalls." 621 said.
Nothing.
"Say it two more times." 627 said.
"I know, I know! B-Biggie Smalls…"
The wind howled. Sweat poured down, a small trickle, from 621's head.
"Bi-Biggie Sm-Sm…AW, I can't do it!"
He hopped down. "627, you try!"
627 sneered and hopped up on the stool. "Watch how a REAL man gets it done." He says.
625 looks at 621. "This should be good."
"You don't think he'll do it."
"Uh, no."
"And you think I should stop reading your mind."
"Yeah. Quit it, 621. It gets old."
"Hey 627, nervous?"
627 blinks, then chuckles, but it's got little life in it.
"Course not! Now, uh…Biggie Smalls."
561 lazily taps the wall with a claw. "We're waiting, oh brave one."
627 gulps. He's sweating a little bit now. "Bi-Bi-Biggie Smu-Smalls…"
621 snickers. "He's not gonna do it." "No way is he gonna do it." 625 says.
"Bi-Bi-Bawww, I can't do it! Crud!" He hops down and starts wringing his hands.
625 smiles. "I knew you couldn't. My turn!" He hopped onto the stool and faces the mirror. "I'm gonna do it quick and get it over with. Biggie Smalls, Biggie Smalls, Biggie Smalls!"
WOOSH!
A large, hefty black man with a black jacket, red shirt and black pants is now in their bathroom, with a bulge in his pocket. "Man, what the f&ck? It ain't even Halloween yet, what the mother+&ck is goin' on in-what the h#ll? Dogs? Mutants too! What's going on here?"
"Uh, we're not dogs. And uh…we're uh…we're just playing around." 625 says lamely. "You summoned my spirit, b&#ches. How come?" "Uh…to see if it worked." "Now I'm gonna see how much lead I can put into a mutant dog! I'm gonna bust a cap in all you're a$$e$!" He pulls out a pistol. The experiments all scream and run out the door, shutting it behind them. Bullets fly through the door.
"AAAAAA! BIGGIE SMALLS WANTS TO BUST A CAP IN MY A$$!!!" 621 said, running down the hall, hands above his head. 627 followed after, wailing. 561 rolled his eyes. "Cowards."
Thudding noises from down the hall mark Gantu's entrance. He's wearing red train pajamas and a nightcap. He rubs his eyes and holds his flashlight up to shine on 625. "What's going on?" "Uh, Biggie Smalls is in our bathroom." "...what?" "And he wants to put a cap in our collective a$$e$." "Biggie Who?" "You know, Biggie Smalls! The Notorious B.I.G!"
Blank stare.
"Uh, ever heard of "Sky's the Limit?"
"…noooo…"
"How about "Dead Wrong"?"
"Oh! "Dead Wrong"? "I just beat you to death with weapons that tear through the flesh, and I never eat you unless the fn' meat looks fresh!". THAT Biggie Smalls?"
"THAT Biggie Smalls."
"What's he doing in our bathroom?"
"We summoned him."
"The mirror trick actually works?"
BANG! A bullet whizzed through the door. "LEMME OUTTA HERE YOU HONKY BA$&ARDS!"
"Biggie speaketh for himself." 561 said. "Now how are we going to be RID of him?"
"I got an idea!" 625 ran for Gantu's room. He jumped up on Gantu's dresser and pulled the mirror off of the wall, running back to the hallway. "Biggie is west side, right?" "Uh, I guess…" "Well, west and east don't mix, right?" "I suppose…" "Here goes nothing!"
625 looked into the mirror and said "Tupac Shakur, Tupac Shakur, Tupac Shakur!" quickly.
WOOSH!
An African American with a white undershirt, bandanna, a brown belt and blue jeans was standing there, and he had a gun in his pocket. "What the? What's goin' on here?"
625 spoke up. "Uh, Mr. Shakur?"
"What the? You some kinda mutant dog?"
"No, I'm an alien and a fan of yours. Uh, Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G…he's uh…in our bathroom and he wants to bust a cap in our-"
"Lemme guess, you want me to take care of him, am I right? Am I right?"
Biggie Smalls suddenly shouted out "Hey, is that Tupac I hear?"
"You bet yo fat a$$ it's me, Biggie boy!"
"Oh, you better not be hatin', know what I'm sayin'?"
"Yeah, well y'all know what we gotta do now, don't ya? This sh#t has been long due to hit the fan!"
"Bring it, east side sh&t!"
"It's on, you west side a$$!"
Tupac kicked down the door and jumped on Biggie. The two of them began punching and hitting each other, rolling around on the floor. They banged into the sink and the candles fell down. Then Biggie Smalls shoved Tupac off. He went for his gun, so did Tupac…
BANG-BANG!
Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur looked down at the bullet hole that was in each of their chests.
"Aw fu-" They managed to get out before vanishing in a puff of smoke. 561 looked around the bathroom and sniffed the air. "Their prescense has vanished utterly. They are back where they belong. 625, may I offer a suggestion?" "And I as well?" Gantu said, stepping forward. 625 gulped. "Uh…what?"
"Don't ever do that trick again." They both said angrily. With that they stormed off, back to bed. "Oh, and now you have to clean up their mess! I don't want to see a single bullet hole in the wall when I wake up!" Gantu shouted back.
625 looked at the mess that the trick had produced and groaned. "Aw, blitznack. Oh well, better start with the bathroom. Hey, where do we keep the dustpan?" 625 shouted. "Under the sink!" Gantu shouted back.
Soon 625 was sweeping away, cleaning up the bathroom, singing.
"We've been spending most our lives living in a Gansgsta's paradise…"
Camera zooms out on him cleaning, and then all goes dark. We hear voices.
"So whaddya think? Wanna cut a record, brother?"
"Sure, sure. But you wanna do it there or the other there?"
"You mean North or South side?"
"Yeah, which side?"
"I actually know some people who know some people who cut records for some people in Los Angeles. Whaddya say to that, man?"
"I say…oh, I'm goin-goin', to, to Cali-Cali! Oh, I'm goin-goin', back to Cali-Cali!"
The Tale of Angel: Here With Me
Angel tapped on a nearby ice-cream stand customer's shoulder with one of her long tendril-like antennas. He turned around and didn't drop his ice cream, looking down. "Uh…yes? Can I help you?' He asked, fat jiggling a little as he spoke. Specifically, the fat on his chest.
Ignoring the fat on the tourist as best she could and trying hard not to giggle at the jiggle (hey, that rhymes!), she asked "Uh, time?" The tourist looked at his watch. "2:50 PM." He said. "Taka." She said, bowing. The tourist bowed too…and the ice cream fell off of his cone. Angel ran off as the man started bawling and the ice cream stand owner promised to make the guy another Double-Mint cone.
Angel ran back to Stitch. "3:00, let's go see the movie." She said, not speaking in English. "Okay, you got it." Stitch said right back. They headed over to the movie theater for the showing of "Pirates of the Carribean, Dead Man's Chest." It was its first day in the Kokaua Town Royal Cinema and both Stitch and Angel had pre-ordered their tickets.
July 7th. They'd marked the date down on their calendar. Just the two of them together, watching the movie.
They walked inside and up to the snack stand, saying hi to one of Stitch's cousins, Kernel, whose one true place was popping popcorn. He was only too happy to hook his cousins up with free snacks, as was the manager.
"Business has never been better! Everyone LOVES the popcorn! Go ahead Mr. Stitch. Any size-Jumbo, of course. And for the lovely lady?"
They sat down, Angel with popcorn and Stitch with drinks and candy (all "Jumbo" sizes) and almost finished them off before the previews had stopped. Finally the beginning came.
Rain battered down on Elizabeth…
Now Will was inside of prison…
Now Bootstrap Bill was talking to Jack…
Angel stuffed popcorn into her mouth. The two of them had seen the first movie and had loved every moment of it. As long as it was at least halfway as good as the first one, they'd be happy…
Of course, Angel was just happy doing anything with Stitch.
Time went on. The big fight scene came. Trapped in a wheel that rolled and rolled the protagonists fought. Angel was transfixed. Stitch's eyes were bugging out.
Then finally they were reaching the ending. The Kraken reared it's…well, it's MOUTH…
Stitch gulped.
"Poor Jack. He was major bootifa." He said to Angel, who nodded. "Ih."
Angel suddenly realized she was holding Stitch's hands and she felt VERY warm. Stitch realized that he and Angel were holding hands and felt kinda dizzy.
Both welcomed the feeling.
The credits rolled. They walked out, still holding hands, heading for the exit. Angel turned and said in Tantalog "I have to use the bathroom."
"Oh. Okay, I'll wait for you, Angel. After this, let's use that Dance Dance Revolution Machine they've got here. Bet I can beat you at "Butterfly", or at least "Tsugaru"." "You wish, Stitch!"
Angel, laughing happily, ran quickly into the bathroom and got to a stall before a woman with unmistakably dyed-brown hair could get it. "HEY! That was MY stall!" Angel responded with what was unmistakably a raspberry. The woman "harrumphed" and walked off.
Unfortunately Angel was stuck in the stall for longer than she had planned. After about twenty horrible minutes, possibly the longest of her life, Angel finished and walked out of the stall, going to the sink to wash her hands.
Something struck her as odd. Only one other person was in the bathroom besides her. Usually the bathrooms were jam-packed right after a movie.
Then the bathroom stall that was HOLDING said other person swung open and the person inside it walked behind Angel. She didn't notice, too busy washing her hands.
Then when she looked into the mirror she blinked, as if REALLY seeing the person behind her.
Her eyes widened.
There, looking VERY smug, was Hamsterviel. He had on a red wig and a pink dress and white shoes, but it was definitely him.
And he had a gun. A deadly-looking plasma gun.
"Say goodnight, my dear." He said calmly. He shot her.
She fell into unconsciousness, falling backwards into HIS arms. "Well what do you know?" He crowed. "You've swooned before me!" And with that, she completely lost her grip on reality.
When she awoke, she was in a containment capsule. Worse still, it was in GANTU'S ship. Hamsterviel was in front of her, a cruel, evil, foul look on his face, mocking her.
"You thought you were safe? In a theater of all places…foolish fools, all of you! That's right…all of you. Take a look, if you can…to your left."
Angel looked left and could barely, just barely, see something that made her frightened. Other containment capsules.
"17 in all." Hamsterviel said, speaking as if he was talking about the weather. "Fudgy, Hunkahunka, Tickle Tummy, Amnesio, Stamen, Felix, Hammerface, Fibber, Nosox, Poxy, Slimy, Zap, Plasmoid, Heat, Thresher, Tank…and YOU. I will capture more of course…but I'm tired. And 17 in one day is quite a nice haul…don't you think?" He rattled their names off very quickly.
"What are you planning to do to us? How did you get past Stitch with me?" Angel asked in Galactic. Hamsterviel sneered. "Now, now. Think about that. I think the questions you should be asking is…will I TELL you what I'm planning to do to you and the others, and what has HAPPENED to Stitch? Well I will be MOST happy to tell you…"
Hamsterviel cleared his throat. "Ah-hem. You see, Stitch may care for you deeply, but…heh…a nice "lady" "accidentally" dropped her entire package of Reese's Pieces…and a certain blue experiment rushed over to eat them, thinking he could get them in time to check back on his "date." But as it turns out, that nice "lady" wasn't a lady. And nor was the dropping of tasty chocolate-shell peanut butter candies an accident, nya-ha-ha-ha-haaa! I walked into the bathroom. I held my gun up, politely, QUIETLY, asked the ladies to get out. You uh…were preoccupied. You shouldn't have eaten all of those malted chocolate balls, or drunken so much of that soda, it just goes right through-"
SFX: Wa-Wa-Waaa!
"Uh, uh…uh anyway, I waited in a stall and uh, you know the rest. And now, for what I plan to do with you…"
Hamsterviel turned around, and Angel could only see his back and his cape. He looked up at the ceiling of the ship. "I have recently found him…the PERFECT experiment. I wasn't sure you know, that it really existed. But it does. I don't care if the girl finds those OTHER two experiments, 120 and 319. I have a secret weapon now."
"So what does that have to do with us?"
Hamsterviel didn't turn around. He kept looking at the ceiling.
"Nobody ever believed in me." He said softly. "Nobody…and nobody ever trusted me. Do you have any idea what it's like to be alone? To not have a single, however stupid, soul that believed in your abilities? To not have anyone who thought you could be counted on? A true friend would do that…but nobody ever did. They ALL doubted me, except for Jumba and…well…"
Hamsterviel looked down at the ground. "Nobody but Jumba ever listened to me whenever I had something to say. They only…they…it doesn't matter now. Nobody but Jumba ever cared…except…except for…you."
Angel blinked. "Huh?"
Hamsterviel whipped around, looking very pitiful. "You've been the only one who ever listened to me ever since I split with Jumba. Who made me feel important, and who didn't even give me one shred of proof that you doubted me. That's why I needed you here. The other experiments are merely test subjects…to test my weapon's power…but I wanted to see YOU, Angel. To talk with you."
Angel was silent for a few moments. Then she spoke. "Doctor Hamsterviel…I was tricking you, trying to get you to believe I cared about you. I was…I was just trying to get on your good side, so I could later escape. I'm sorry if it seems like I led you on, I didn't mean to."
Hamsterviel was quiet for what seemed to be a long time.
Then he sighed.
"Well…then…I'm afraid…that you will be the first test subject for my new weapon. You should have lied again, dear Angel. You would have lived. Goodbye." He turned to walk out the door.
"Jacques, don't do this! PLEASE!"
Hamsterviel didn't even turn around or so much as twitch when she called out. "Aw, you seem to think I CARE about what happens to you. Sorry…but nobody is coming to your rescue, no one at all."
He left her alone in the capsule, walking out the door as the other experiments shouted, swore and banged on theirs. Angel sank onto her knees and buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
From a distance, a single butterfly, a monarch, flapped its wings. Then it took to the air, going out of an open window and heading for freedom…
Which Angel might never have…
Ever again.